The Notorious M.E.G. in Turkey

The Bosphorus as trash can/treasure chest

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:25:43 +0300

The Bosphorus as trash can/treasure chest:

Oldie but fascinating article on a team of SCUBA divers and their finds on the bottom of the Bosphorus. Sure, you expect to find random restaurant items and Akbils, but a police cart?! Pure awesome.

A Fancy Fast Food ripoff! http://www.fancyfastfood.com On a...

Tue, 24 May 2011 17:37:00 +0300

A Fancy Fast Food ripoff! http://www.fancyfastfood.com

On a related note, I’ll be hosting the FFF creator in Istanbul, what Turkish fast food could he try? Kokorec sandwich? Islak burger? A simple doner kebab with soggy french fries?

thedailywhat:

Fancy Fast Food of the Day: Four top Toronto-area chefs were invited by local alt-weekly The Grid (formerly EYE) to design five-star meals using only the ingredients found in McDonald’s Big Mac combo.

We asked four chefs to turn a Big Mac combo (burger, fries and a Coke, plus lots of condiments) into a five-star dish. To our surprise, they agreed. The only rule: other than oil and water, no extra ingredients allowed. The result is four meals that won’t be seen on a specials board anytime soon.

Above: Aravind’s Open-Faced Samosas — fried-burger-bun samosas filled with diced meat and onions bound in BBQ sauce, served alongside fries bundled up with fry box strips and repurposed-cheese sauce.

[nag.]

Yet another reason Singapore is awesome, even if you just go to...

Tue, 24 May 2011 16:14:49 +0300

Yet another reason Singapore is awesome, even if you just go to the airport.

flight001:

Flight 001 Singapore has arrived!!!

We’re excited to announce that our first airport store just opened in Changi International Airport, Singapore. Visit us at Terminal 2!

FLIGHT 001 > NEW YORK / BROOKLYN / LOS ANGELES / SAN FRANCISCO / BERKELEY / CHICAGO / SYDNEY / CHANGI AIRPORT, SINGAPORE

Probably my all-time favorite movie, I know every line still. No...

Wed, 18 May 2011 11:46:21 +0300

Probably my all-time favorite movie, I know every line still. No one could hold a candle to Gene Wilder’s performance, but I still think they should have gotten Christopher Walken for the remake.

thedailywhat:

So Shines A Good Reunion of the Day: The Today Show recently reunited the surviving cast members of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory to mark the 40th anniversary of Mel Stuart’s cult classic. (Starts @ 1:55.)

For record, Gene Wilder is very much alive, but sadly couldn’t be in attendance.

[buzzfeed.]

See Also: Pure Imagination: The Making of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

By far my favorite Royal Wedding read. The haters can leave me...

Tue, 10 May 2011 20:21:08 +0300

By far my favorite Royal Wedding read. The haters can leave me to my Pimm’s and funny hats.

richardrushfield:

ROYAL WEDDING WRAP UP: FINAL THOUGHTS

• To start, I would like to address the naysayers. While the world may have gone Middleton mad, my corner of it is about 20 percent Royal Wedding fans/80 percent angry grumps who wear t-shirts proclaiming how not interested they are in such socially questionable frivolity. And while I appreciate their point, I would like to ask them, what the hell is wrong with you?

Fine, you don’t want to watch a bunch of British monarchs getting dressed up and marrying off their balding young prince. So don’t watch it. Do I get on a high horse and ask anyone to give me medals for not watching March Madness (I do only a little) which does a lot more harm to the world if you look at its effect on the education system and the television schedule than watching a wedding ever did? Do I consider myself a hero for not going to Coachella? (Not very much).

Well, maybe you’re making a big stand against the British monarchy. Congratulations, aren’t you brave? We had a little posse out here about 230 years ago that sorta settled that issue for we Americans, but welcome aboard. Always glad to have more converts to the cause.

But as a result of that little dust-up they fought, we can watch George III’s descendents get gussied up as pure spectators without any fear that they are going to come and make us put up their Hessian mercenaries in our homes, so don’t worry about it. It’s just a TV show.

Or maybe you have more important things to do than bother yourself with such frivolity? And that’s just terrific. We’re all very grateful you’re going to stay up all night studying public housing statistics while we bubbleheads are debating Kate’s dress. I’m sure the report you produce will turn the whole nation’s debate right on its head, so thanks for that.

Moving. On.

• Because in the end, the thing is a celebration (we hope) of young couple being in love and anyone who has ever been to a wedding knows, whatever your hostility to the ceremonial aspects, whether you are pro-British/pro-monarchy/pro-rich people in hats, that’s always a moving thing. That’s why it’s the plot of pretty much every movie ever made, except 2 or 3, every book ever written.

• It is interesting and very jealous making to see a world where people can wear crazy hats and sashes with medals on them and swords and vests and not have it be a precious affectation. I often wish - I usually wish we lived in a world where people still put on a suit to ride in aeroplanes. And some vulnerable moments, I’ve tried to pretend we do and started wearing suits every day on my own. But the result is of course, a precious affectation, because wish it though I may, its not the society I live in. But for these Royals there is an unbroken chain of getting dressed up for functions going back to the birth of England itself when there no doubt was some important reason for people to keep their heads covered. Down since the 3rd Century, they’ve never had a wedding where everyone thought it was cool if they just showed up in t-shirts. No doubt they too will soon. But in the meantime, they get to wear swords and sashes and hats and without feeling like they’re just being ponces. And I don’t.

• It’s nice that the Queen doesn’t join in when they sing God Save the Queen. Very humble of her.

• On the other hand, it’s weird that they don’t all turn and look at her when they all sing it. I mean, they’re saying God Save the Queen, and she’s standing right there. Do they think she’ll think they’re talking about another queen?

• Whatever your position is on hereditary rules (on balance, considering what we’ve got here, I’d take it) it’s kinda an amazing thing to see this old couple (Queen and Phillip) whose whole job besides pretending to rule the nation is being dignified, and to always be dignified no matter what. Even if we don’t have unelected sovereigns, can’t we have that. Just pick a couple and say, your job for the rest of your lives is just to be dignified. No matter how crazy, pathetic, ridiculous, unclothed society may get, you will always frown and stare straight ahead, greeting the world with a barely percepitable nod. The rest of the nation will be dressed in tank tops with piercings through every corner of their body, but you will always wear and suit and/or frock. Wouldn’t it help in this age to have just one of them?

• Why is everyone talking about the dress and not the Aston Martin? When a car like that is brought into the picture, there can be no debate.

This is of limited interest if you aren’t following the...

Wed, 04 May 2011 18:49:40 +0300

This is of limited interest if you aren’t following the Istanbul canal plans or understand Turkish, but it’s basically a parody that makes all of Turkey into islands. Here’s the map key in Turkish:

1-Kanal Trabzon: Trabzon’dan başlayarak İskenderun körfezine uzanacak. Akdeniz’de hamsi avlanacak. Hunt the Mediterranean anchovy

2- Kanal Güdül: Karadeniz ile Akdeniz’in birleşmesinde Ege dışlanmayacak.Gâvur İzmir ıslah olacak. Merges the Med with the Aegean.

3-Ankara adası: Ankara’ya deniz getirilmek suretiyle, Sakarya Caddesi sahilinde bira içilip, üst geçitten olta sallandırmak mümkün olacak. Makes Ankara into an island for fishing and drinking beer on the water.

4-İki Karadeniz: Bu kanallardan çıkan topraklarla Karadeniz doldurulup Rusya’yla birleşecek, iki ülke arasındaki ziyaretler kolaylaşacak. Bilâhare, burada ” Kanal Moskova” açılması ile ilgili araştırmalar başlayacak. Visit Russia!

5-Eskişehir’in Akdeniz’le buluşması: Eskişehir’e suni denizler yapmaktansa; Eskişehir, Akdeniz’e nakledilecek.

6-Karadeniz’in Yeşil Adası Kıbrıs: Ada’yı, Akdeniz’den Karadeniz’e sevk etmek suretiyle, Kıbrıs sorununa kesin çözüm bulunacak

7-Yozgat Gölü: Van Gölü boşaltılarak, Yozgat’ta yeniden oluşturulacak. Her projeye gerekçe şart değil! Van Gölü milyonlarca yıldır aynı yerde, hareket olsun…

Lüzumu halinde “Konya Ovası ile Ağrı Dağı’nın yerlerini değiştirme” projesi de geliştirilebilir.”

Istanbul in 2 days

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:15:27 +0300

Husband asked me for an itinerary for 2 days in Istanbul for a co-worker, so I thought I’d post for others. This is fairly hectic but gives you the essentials.

Saturday - Start at Takism Square. Walk (or take nostalgic tram) down Istiklal to Tunel, funicular/walk down to Galata Bridge and walk across bridge (fishermen on top, fish restaurants on the bottom). Keep walking or hop on the tram for a few stops to Sultanahmet to see Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and cistern (about 2 hours to see them all, depending on call to prayer). Tram to Grand Bazaar (closed Sunday) and then taxi/walk to Spice Market, end up back at Galata Bridge and possibly see Istiklal at night. If there’s time on either end, go up to the top of Galata Tower near end of Istiklal/Tunel for views of Golden Horn and a good overview of the city.

Sunday - See Topkapi Palace in Sultanahmet and/or Chora Church (Topkapi takes a few hours with the harem, and it’s almost always crowded. Chora Church takes about an hour but it’s not as central.). Ferry over to Asian side - either take a taxi to Beylerbeyi Palace from Uskudar or walk around Kadikoy and Moda neighborhood. If there’s time and the weather is good (or you don’t want to go all the way over to Asia), spend the afternoon at a waterfront neighborhood like Ortakoy (and visit the mosque there).

More on the tourist sites here. With another day or two, I’d recommend seeing what Sabanci and/or Pera Museums have (Sabanci is way out of the tourist sites but in a beautiful area and the museum is great, Pera is right off Istiklal), have a wander around Besiktas, explore all the areas around Istiklal, and maybe even venture up to Santral.

Cargo 200 Russian movie with English subtitles

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:52:21 +0300

Cargo 200 Russian movie with English subtitles:

Watched this Russian movie this weekend after a friend recommended, with warnings about how disturbing it is. It does have some truly unsettling scenes (all supposedly true), but it’s no more gory than an average action movie. But I doubt that any American slasher movie would include scenes and themes discussing the existence of God and the soul. Ah, Russia. There’s also a sweet Soviet disco.

The view from the ivory tower With a baby on the way, husband...

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:57:14 +0300

View from the Ivory Tower

The Ivory Towers

The view from the ivory tower

With a baby on the way, husband and I are hoping to move to a bigger apartment in Istanbul before summer comes. A brand-new building is about to open up not far from us, with all kinds of sweet amenities like a pool (would be awesome if this summer is anything like last), gym, Carrefour supermarket, etc. We went to walk by it this weekend and discovered that even though it’s only 10-15 minutes walk from where we are now on the edge of posh Nisantasi and close to Taksim Square, the immediate neighborhood is depressing to say the least. At the end of the block is a highway, the other end is a construction site for more fancy high-rise apartments, and across the street are gecekondus. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it means house put up over night and basically means squatter houses or slums. Istanbul is full of them, and there are plenty of nice neighborhoods with mansions on one side of the street and gecekondus on the other. They aren’t necessarily dangerous, just poor and sad. So this is literally across the street and possibly the only way to walk from the apartment building to the metro and other bits of civilization. The building is literally an ivory tower. In theory, there are enough things at the apartment complex that you’d never have to leave the grounds but we do like to get out.

So the question is: is a pool and a sweet apartment worth the sketchy neighborhood? Will I want to walk to the doctor and eventually with a baby, past the slums?

I’ve seen a lot of quality dogs-on-wheels videos and...

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:19:19 +0200

I’ve seen a lot of quality dogs-on-wheels videos and figured I should round them up for safekeeping (yes, there will be a time when I am in desperate need of one of these videos). So what’s cutest: dogs in a conga line? Scooter-riding dog? Or an old-fashioned dog on a bicycle? I think this escalator-confused dog would also be good at pedaling.

Singapore to-do list

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:24:00 +0200

In two weeks, we’ll be in Singapore and Penang for 6 days. I am looking forward to hot weather and eating pork or anything in noodle or dumpling form. Some links I’ve collected from social media friends and the interweb.

Part one of things I need to see in Singapore:

If a half-lion, half-fish mascot wasn’t making me giddy enough, I’ll get to see the Merlion Hotel installation.
More arty stuff to see at the Biennale: contraband stuff at the old airport.
We’ll be staying at Hotel 1929, but I’m hoping to get a tour of the new Wanderlust, which looks adorable but a bit tiny for 2.5 people.
The zoo is supposed to be aces, plus it has a baby orang, a new sun bear, and a baby sloth!
The museum of toys has got to be weird and cool, right?
Eat a “magical satay” at the Chinatown hawker complex.
Mmm yakitori.
$30S is a little steep, but the ArtScience museum is supposed to be sweet, plus husband is curious about the Marina Bay Sands’ terrifying swimming pool.
Go to a crazy big electronics store (Turkey has many Apple resellers but no official store, and an iPad starts at $1k here) and try to think of reasons why we need an iPhone or iPad.
Buy more pants that fit at Maternity Exchange (what an awesome concept, wish I lived there).
Free museum hours! After 6pm at National Museum, Friday night 6-9pm at the Art Museum (thanks untraveledworld).
Go to cheesy-but-potentially-fun Sentosa “beach” on the new monorail.

Some foodie recs from the wonderful Eating Asia:

Eat non-Turkish cheese at Jones the Grocer.
Try all the weird Asian- and boozy-flavored ice cream at Udders. Repeat at Island Creamery.
Have my one glass of wine per week with fancy views at Salt Grill & Sky Bar’s wine bar.
Enjoy street food safe for preggos pretty much all over town.

On to Penang recs next.

New AMC original series The Killing

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:42:57 +0200

New AMC original series The Killing:

Phew, just as we’d exhausted all the non-Vincent D’Onofrio eps of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, there’s a new crime drama! Also, it has the ponytail chick from Big Love!

Steal this idea...so I can eat there

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:05:00 +0200

So I’ve started watching the not-so-quality reality show America’s Next ~~Top~~ Great Restaurant purely because of the HEE-larious recaps on NYMag.com and AVClub.com (seriously, the first recap on Grub Street is the funniest thing I’ve read in ages). Also, it makes a good Monday morning watch-while-I-catch-up-on-the-rest-of-the-world until True Blood comes back (yes, another guilty pleasure). I’m not a big reality TV watcher and this is as dumb as any other show, but I find myself thinking oddly deeply about it after - What would concept would work all over the country? What logo would convey their vision? How could she define her flavor profile? Mostly, it makes me want Chipotle and bemoan the lack of Mexican food pretty much anywhere in Istanbul.

So my “fast casual” restaurant would have to involve dumplings. I will eat pretty much anything in a dumpling, and we are headed to Singapore and Malaysia in two weeks where I plan to eat MANY dumplings. So I’m thinking there are other people like myself who want to eat delicious pockets of food like Italian ravioli, Turkish manti, Russian pelmeni, Japanese gyoza, etc. We can’t really have some dumplings covered in sauce and others dipped, not to mention the need for forks and chopsticks, so perhaps we streamline and go all dipping sauce! I think Dr. Chipotle PhD would like the concept of a pork-filled Russian dumpling (veal too controversial) with a sour cream dip mixed with an Asian-inspired vegetable wonton with soy sauce. Now I just need a catchy name. Dunkin’ Dumplings? Dump(ling)s Like a Truck? Might require some fine tuning.

And now I want a dumpling.

Movin' on over

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:32:53 +0200

Just came back from New York (my first trip to the US in 10 months), armed with a brand new Macbook Pro. After a few false starts and trips to Turkish electronics stores, I’ve moved most of my applications and documents over. I am fairly sad that my internet bookmarks and such aren’t transferring, so I thought I’d look and see what sites I hit most these days so I started typing in each letter of the alphabet and wrote down what came up. Pardon my lazy hyperlinking, this is really for my info mostly.

www.avclub.com - I feel I haven’t fully watched a show if I haven’t read a recap of it. Also, www.americanhospitalistanbul.com/ENG/ where I go for bebek check-ups.

blog.hawkpr.com - manage/edit this blog for work. Also brooklynlimestone.com for my friend Stef’s awe-inspiring blog.

cms.aol.com - where the Gadling magic happens. www.citylifecinema.com I go to the movies a lot.

www.dfarley.com/restlesslegs.html - if only I were in NYC more often, I used to never miss these excellent travel readings. Also, Google Docs is good.

expedia.com - really? Kayak is my go-to travel booking site. Also, emirates.com as Dubai seems more interesting now that it’s 4 hours away.

facebook.com - yep. Also, fastpasstv.com for uh, shared video content.

gadling.com - Duh. http://grantourismotravels.com Excellent blog and great folks I met in Istanbul last year.

hawkpr.com - Have spent many months working on this site relaunch (the content and project, not the design). Also, http://harita.iett.gov.tr/en for vaguely helpful Istanbul transit info.

imdb.com - I *do* see a lot of movies. Also, Istanbuleats.com for food inspiration.

jaunted.com and jauntsetter.com - More favorite travel blogs.

www.kangurum.com.tr - online grocery shopping. Kayak for travel.

www.luxecityguides.com - great guidebooks and former client. Linkedin.com I will one day find a good use for.

Google Maps will always be superior to the competition. Any site that still gives Mapquest directions needs to join the now. Also, this site for Tumblr updates/ing.

nymag.com/daily/entertainment - I check Vulture almost as often as Facebook. Also, there are ways to get on Netflix instant outside the US.

theoatmeal.com - if I leave my husband for any man, it may be the Oatmeal. Also, orbitz.com for more travel booking.

projectrungay.blogspot.com - was a go-to site for recaps and snark, but tragically is a victim of Turkey’s blogspot ban. Also, http://paulbrady.tumblr.com cause he’s a cool guy.

www.quickchina.com.tr/en - one of Istanbul’s good Asian food restaurants.

reidontravel.blogspot.com - Turkey must also adore Robert, as I can still access content despite blogspot ban. Also, www.rob389.com, Istanbul’s best English (and Turkish) bookstore.

sublimeportal.com - the expats who save my life every day in Turkey. Also, sidereel.com for more video links.

translate.google.com/ - another necessity in Turkey. And thy.com for booking Turkish Airlines.

www.uterque.es - discovered these awesome Spanish accessories stores in Spain, now regularly covet in Turkey. How has only Zara made it to the US? You need Massimo Dutti - the Eurotrashy J. Crew - stat.

veryshortlist.com - always has genius stuff to read and click on. Venere.com is awesome for booking European hotels.

wikitravel.org - one of my favorite travel resources. Also weather.com and wunderground for uh, weather.

xe.com - hard not to convert dollars to lira to dollars when in the US.

yabancidiziizle.com/index.html - Can’t be legit, it shows all the American shows! With Turkish subtitles! Also, www.yemeksepeti.com is a MUST for food delivery.

www.todayszaman.com - Apparently rather conservative Turkish news, but I just like the lifestyle and expat coverage. Also, zooborns.com is a necessity for baby animal news.

This is one of my favorite Istanbul things right now. In the...

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:27:22 +0200

This is one of my favorite Istanbul things right now. In the metro stations, there are screens that show ads and short news bulletins. I’ve recently noticed that just as the train is coming into the station, this screen will pop up that says that train is coming. But because the ad is for dairy with cows, they have added extra “o”s to the sign. The train is cooooming! Delightful.

Bonus: note the arrows that suggest you step aside to let people off the train before entering, people actually obey them. Look to the Turks, NYC Transit!

“Your Auntie Mame’s hung.” I have grown up...

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:57:31 +0200

“Your Auntie Mame’s hung.”

I have grown up watching the classic movie Auntie Mame and seen it dozens, if not hundreds, of times. I’ve used it as a litmus test with best friends and new boyfriends. I deplore the very mention of that horrible Mame musical (with all due respect to Lucille Ball and Bea Arthur) and hope to name a daughter Rosalind one day after the one true Mame. I didn’t think there was much more I could know about it until I recently realized something new about one of my favorite scenes. In the scene above, a hungover Auntie Mame asks for “a light breakfast: black coffee and a sidecar.” I always thought a sidecar was some kind of cool 1930s breakfast item, some glamorous term for a tray I didn’t know not living in a fabulous Beekman Place apartment. So then I realized she’s asking for a cocktail, a little hair of the dog! How it took me 30 years to realize this, I don’t know but it felt like a revelation! At least I understand all the words on Patrick’s list.

Fascinating. Wonder where Istanbul would fit in this - it has a...

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:53:46 +0200

Fascinating. Wonder where Istanbul would fit in this - it has a larger area than NYC metro but the 5th largest population in the world.

Pivo Divo: Breakdown of the New York Times 41 Places to Go in 2011

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:09:04 +0200

Pivo Divo: Breakdown of the New York Times 41 Places to Go in 2011:

Kosovo, Georgia, and Gdansk are all on my list for 2011, but only because I live in Turkey and they have cheap pork and booze.

alexanderbasek:

Stop Trying to Make X Happen

Loreto, Mexico

Niseko, Japan

Erzurum, Turkey

Manchester, England

Tallinn

Zanzibar

Salonika, Greece

Okinawa, Japan

Rebirth, we get it

Santiago

Iceland

Dresden

Iraqi Kurdistan

Can count the number of Times readers who will vacation here on one hand

…

Blowing the dust off this Tumblr to add some various pix around...

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:29:46 +0200

Blowing the dust off this Tumblr to add some various pix around Istanbul and recent travels to Russia…This is a great ad in the Istanbul metro for a local English-language school. Best part is it took Husband and me several seconds to figure out what was wrong with the spelling.

Perfect way to end my Soviet vacation. Goodbye Kiev and Warsaw,...

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 11:16:39 +0200

Perfect way to end my Soviet vacation. Goodbye Kiev and Warsaw, thanks for everything!

carsandcomrades:

Legos? AND Soviet History?! My god, what more could you want on a Saturday morning?